Resources

RCGP members are uniquely positioned to promote general practice to school and college pupils, providing insights which can help young people make informed choices about their future careers.

There are a variety of ways members can engage with school pupils depending on the preferred age group, desired style of activity and time available, each carrying their own benefits. 

If you are considering engaging with schools and are unsure where to start, consider our best practice when approaching schools [PDF] and the different activities described below on our handouts:

Attending a careers fair [PDF]

Invited to answer questions on a stall at a careers fair in a local school?

This information sheet is designed to help members maximise their time and have greatest impact during this light touch activity.   

Delivering a talk or workshop in a school [PDF]

This could be a careers talk to 16-year-old aspiring medics, a Personal, Social and Healthcare (PSE/PSHE) or Living, Learning, Together (Northern Ireland) session to a group of 14-year-old pupils or a presentation to a whole primary school during assembly.

This information sheet is designed to help members for prepare for a talk or workshop, providing some things to consider and best practice.  

In the presentations section below a template 'life as a GP' talk is available along with other materials which may be of use including activity sheets focusing on confidentiality, medical ethics and NHS core values.

Delivering a large-scale outreach event [PDF]

Some faculties have organised, promoted and delivered large-scale events for school pupils for a number of years. Usually pupils register to attend a half or full day consisting of a series of workshops and talks in a carousel.

This information sheet provides some key things to consider when designing a larger-scale event for school pupils of any age. 

A template task list [word] has also been produced outlining many of the operational details that can be considered. 

School pupils FAQs [PDF]

Similar questions tend to emerge when engaging with school pupils, usually relating to medicine in general and what it is like to work as a GP. 

Before attending or delivering any activity with school pupils we recommend reading through these FAQs and suggested answers. 

Printed copies of this flyer are available from each faculty office to be handed out at careers fairs and events in schools. Please note this flyer is designed to be folded from A3 to A6 therefore sections appear upside down on screen.  

Five Fantastic Reasons to become a GP Flyer [PDF]

How many flyers do you need? Example: you are invited to man a stand at a careers fair. If 700 pupils are invited, a smaller number will attend on the day. Unless it is a medicine focused event we would recommend taking 50 flyers.

A PowerPoint presentation containing the content from this flyer is available below.

Route to becoming a GP A2 Poster [PDF]

Printed copies of this poster are available for faculties to request (folded into A4) to hand out at careers fairs and events in schools. 

The content of this poster is the middle insert from the Five Fantastic Reasons to become a GP flyer.

Scripts: It is strongly recommended to read the suggested scripts for each of the presentations below by downloading the resource, clicking on ‘View’ and selecting ‘Notes Pages’ (below insert). 

Each of these presentations is the same style. Faculties can add their own logo should they wish - if you have any difficulty formatting this please contact schools@rcgp.org.uk.

If you wish to combine more than one presentation, follow these instructions:

1. Open and save both presentations you wish to use
2. On the presentation you wish to add to select the arrow at the bottom of ‘new slide’ 
3. Choose ‘reuse slides’ from the drop down
4. Browse to find the other presentation and be sure to tick ‘keep source formatting’ in the bottom right hand corner before selecting the slides you wish to copy.

Five fantastic reasons to become a GP (English) [PowerPoint]

Five fantastic reasons to become a GP (Welsh) [PowerPoint]

The full text from the five fantastic reasons flyer can be found in the notes page of each slide. 

A ‘text heavy’ PowerPoint which perfectly matches the flyer is also available - but is only designed to be used as a scrolling presentation [PowerPoint] in the background of events on plasma screens.

To use as a scrolling PowerPoint:

1. Go to ‘transitions’, in the top right-hand corner
2. Untick ‘on mouse click’ and set ‘advance slide’ e.g. 5 seconds for each
3. Select ‘Slideshow’ from the top pane, followed by ‘set up slideshow’
4. A box will open, and you can select ‘loop continuously until esc’.

Life as a GP (English) [PowerPoint]

Life as a GP (Welsh) [PowerPoint]

To support members who are asked to deliver a talk at a school about life as a GP. The presentation and its suggested script support PSHE/PSE (Personal, Social, Healthcare education core aims.

Ice-breaker activity | Who wants to be a general practitioner? [PowerPoint]

Facts and figures relevant to general practice are used in this multiple-choice quiz. Ideal to use when working with groups of school pupils aged 14+. The answers to each question are on the following slide. Script and sources can be found in the ‘notes pages’ of each slide. This activity works best when pupils can work in teams and are supplied with A, B, C, D cards to hold up.

Talk to us lesson plan [PDF]

Talk to us presentation [PowerPoint]

Talk to a GP pupil handout [PDF]

Talk to a GP parent/carer handout [PDF]

Designed and delivered by Dr Sharmila Parks and a team of colleagues and young people over a number of years in South Tyneside and Sunderland. The ‘Talk to us’ lesson is designed for pupils aged 12-14, to teach them about their rights and making the best of their appointments when visiting their GP. The session is fun, engaging and creates an atmosphere of respect and openness. The session has been designed to meet the core principles of great PSHE Personal, Social and Healthcare curriculum.  Dr Parks is happy to discuss the lesson plan with any GPs wishing to deliver this in their locality please contact: sharmila.parks@nhs.net or schools@rcgp.org.uk for more information. 

We encourage members to consider, at the end of delivering this session, also using some of the content on the presentations above to describe the life of a GP and/or 5 fantastic reasons to become a GP. 

If you wish to combine more than one presentation, follow these instructions:

Open and save both presentations you wish to use
On the presentation you wish to add to, select the arrow at the bottom of ‘new slide’ (on the top toolbar) 
Choose ‘reuse slides’ from the drop down
Browse to find the other presentation and be sure to tick ‘keep source formatting’ in the bottom right hand corner before selecting the slides you wish to copy.

Designed and led by Dr Chee Yeen Fung, the ‘Dr. Me Project’ delivers primary school outreach which provides children aged 9-11 with a basic understanding of how to manage self-limiting illnesses through a session of interactive games and workshops. In line with the primary school Health and Wellbeing curriculum, Dr. Me also aims to inspire healthcare careers.

The Dr. Me Project offers complete, bespoke GP trainee and medical student training packages (including all necessary resources) which can be readily and neatly embedded into VTS training, student societies and undergraduate curricula. The project is supported by the RCGP. To find out more about the session and how it could be delivered in your locality, or to contact Dr Fung, check out the Dr. Me Project web page. 

A GP's guide to the application process for medical schools in Wales [PDF] 

Created by members and faculty staff in South Wales, and endorsed by Cardiff University School of Medicine, this guide can be used as a guide by GPs in Wales who have been invited to local schools to discuss the application process to medicine.

Reflective Diary [PDF]

Endorsed by the Medical Schools Council this reflective diary is available for all pupils pursuing an application to study medicine to download and print.

The diary is designed to help pupils make the most of the work experience opportunities they obtain by providing examples of how to reflect and space to write down the skills and values they observe being demonstrated. It can be used for any work experience opportunity i.e. in primary care and/or secondary care, when volunteering in care home or during relevant part-time work. Hard copies can be requested at: schools@rcgp.org.uk

Pupils can also use our work experience information sheet [PDF] to record important details i.e. dates, location etc. 

A dedicated work experience web page provides information, resources and guidance for GP's and practices wishing to offer work experience placements. 

Why use a reflective diary? [PowerPoint slides]

GPs, teachers, careers advisers, event coordinators - if we have provided you with hard copy reflective diaries or you are signposting pupils to the above PDF please use these slides to explain their purpose and ensure they make the most of this resource. 

• Confidentiality activity sheet [PDF] 
• Consultation and patient records activity sheet [PDF]
• Medical ethics activity sheet [PDF]
• NHS core values activity sheet [PDF]
• Next steps activity sheet [PDF]

These activity sheets have been designed to be discussed in a group setting before and after pupils undertake work experience. Facilitator notes, with suggested answers, are provided below. They accompany the reflective diary which can be found above. Each sheet has a large emphasis on general practice and primary care. To print these activity sheets, select ‘double sided’ and ‘fit to page’. 

• Facilitator notes - confidentiality activity sheet [PDF] 
• Facilitator notes - consultation and patient records activity sheet [PDF] 
• Facilitator notes - NHS core values activity sheet [PDF] 
• Facilitator notes - medical ethics activity sheet [PDF] 

Discover General Practice in 360° [YouTube] with our 5 interactive videos exploring consultations, portfolio careers and person-centred care. These videos can also be accessed on multiple devices and can viewed in virtual reality on a smart phone.  

Discover GP Competition lesson plans [PDF]

In 2018, the RCGP and Medical Schools Council invited medical students to create an outreach session based in a primary care setting for pupils aged 11 to 16.

The aim of the session was to promote general practice, to encourage potential medical school applicants. The three winning lesson plans are combined in the document to the left.  Congratulations to Surina and Vignesh from UCL (1) Khadeza, Gawsalya and Sadia from Imperial (2) and Kiran from Liverpool (3). 

The lesson plans and resources of all seven runners-up (in no particular order):  

Barts and the London Gemma and Luke [PDF] Barts and the London Zak and team [PDF] Birmingham Joshua [PDF] KCL Anam and Afra [PDF]  Keele Ellen [PDF]Southampton Alastair and Chloe [PDF] Warwick Leila [PDF] 

A career as a GP [PDF]

Created to showcase the best of general practice, this publication outlines the key components of a career in general practice, with complementary testimonials and an overview of the specialty training application process. This publication is to be handed out to medical students and foundation doctors whilst on placement or at a careers fair, event and/or conference.

A Career as a GP [PowerPoint]

Created to showcase the best of general practice, this PowerPoint presentation mirrors our 'A career as a GP' publication in outlining the key components of a career in general practice, with complementary testimonials, videos and an overview of the specialty training application process.

Teaching general practice [PDF]

This document aims to provide detailed guidance on the design, development and delivery of general practice learning and teaching at UK medical schools. It is based on best available evidence and wide consultation, including GP teaching leads at all UK medical schools. This resource was developed in conjunction with the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC).